Frequently Asked Questions

For most of our projects, the process looks like this: First, you (or a member of your team) will meet with one of our researchers to help us learn about your company, product, and what you’re looking for. We will answer any questions you have about the process and how we can help propel your company’s success. We may discuss initial study ideas on this call. Then, our team will go to the drawing board to design the study or project, taking into account your company’s needs, scientific gaps, and current resources. After confirming the project with you, we will carry it out. Once finished, we present the findings back to you and work with you to identify next steps for product and marketing, including creating unique claim language for marketing and pitch decks.

It's not enough to just think your product works or to base it off of prior research. Here are the primary reasons companies hire us: • Establish Scientific Credibility: Gain a significant edge over competitors in the space by establishing scientific evidence of the product’s effectiveness in your target consumer population. For investors, scientific validation enhances credibility and mitigates perceived risk. In addition to using findings for marketing and in pitch decks, study results can also both be presented at conferences and written up for submission in peer-reviewed articles. For health- and wellness-focused apps, findings can be provided as evidence when app stores request validation data. • Enhance Marketing, Consumer Trust, and Consumer-Facing Science Messaging: Study findings can be used across channels and in press releases to enhance product storytelling and inform brand messaging strategy. Specifically, we will help you create unique claim language for marketing that is scientifically accurate. Scientific evidence can differentiate your product from competitors, boost your brand’s visibility, and enhance consumer trust with phrasing like “validated in third-party scientific study.” • Inform Product R & D Roadmap: Results may also shed light upon use cases in which the product works best, help to guide future road mapping and maximizing efficiency of company resources. Findings may also provide insights for product improvement and opportunities for future product development and/or target populations. See more here: lydiaroos.substack.com/p/do-you-really-need-scientific-evidence

Our focus is on mental and physical health, wellness, and fitness technology, including devices, digital products and apps, and services. We have worked with companies at all stages, from pre-seed/seed to public companies. We are not a medical CRO and do not validate the efficacy of medical drugs, nor do we conduct trials on medically vulnerable populations. With that said, there are situations in which it makes sense for us to work with medical device and digital therapeutics companies. Get in touch to see if we are a good fit for your product.

Absolutely not. We work with companies with the full range of research experience—from companies whose founders and employees don't know the first thing about research to companies who already have scientists on their team but want to outsource a project for one reason or another. That's why we are here! We genuinely enjoy making the process of doing research easy and painless for our partners. We explain the options and their pros and cons all while speaking like normal people. (We try to leave the jargon out of it—or if we have to use sciencey terms, we'll explain those, too.) Once we have the green light from you on a project, we take care of everything, from developing the protocol and getting approval from an independent ethics committee/IRB, recruit participants, conducting the statistical analyses, and writing up the findings. We can even do technical writing for you (for example, if you'd like to publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal), assist with white paper writing, or work with marketing to ensure your claim language is accurate.

Study cost is highly dependent on the study design itself (simpler and shorter studies cost less than more complex studies that take longer), as well as the specific needs of your product. On average, our studies cost 90% less than other market research and contract research organizations (CROs), primarily due to low overhead, a distinct focus on health, wellness, and fitness technology, and the high value we place on ethical business practices. Book a discovery call to get a specific quote.

A Research Strategy Sprint is a great way to dive into all of the options and understand exactly what would go into a research study without having to commit. During Research Strategy Sprints, we work intensely with clients (typically over a 3-day period with at least 1 meeting/day to discover the needs of the company from a scientific and business perspective, determine possible research questions, and detailed options for research studies that fit with your needs and resources. If you decide to move forward with one of the study options, the cost of the Research Strategy Sprint goes toward the cost of the study.

Absolutely. We work with investors and VC partners in several ways. In addition to conducting research with startups on behalf of investors/VCs, we also offer scientific vetting. Think of our vetting service as due diligence for the scientific basis of a product. Do you ever wonder about the scientific legitimacy of a product? During the vetting process, a PhD-level subject matter expert dives into the science and prior literature on a particular product or business offering and provide you with answers like: • Is the product scientifically conceivable? • Are the company’s claims backed by scientific evidence? • Have similar products undergone scientific validation testing and if so, were they successful? • What are the highest priority questions I should be asking to make sure I’m not investing in a company that isn’t scientifically sound? With just a drop in the bucket compared to the finances you are considering investing, you can gain heightened confidence in the product and the knowledge needed to woo other investors, or find out which companies are not scientifically sound.

Possibly, but not always. We work with clients to make this decision on a case-by-case basis. Check out this post to read more about when IRB approval is needed: lydiaroos.substack.com/p/science-speak-irb

There are pros and cons to working with academic researchers. Most startups find that working with industry researchers is a better fit for their goals, though academic research has its place as well. See this post for things to know when considering an academic partnership: https://lydiaroos.substack.com/p/contract-research-vs-academic-partnership Sometimes an academic partnership makes sense or is the only way to feasibly conduct a study—for example, when a university lab has access to a particular technology rarely available elsewhere. In those cases, we can initiate the partnership, manage, and oversee all aspects of the study to ensure the research is completed as quickly as possible and at the highest quality.